


Unexpected Dinner Date

by Starkquillstardust



Series: Steve, Billy, and Conflicted Emotions [3]
Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Billy has emotions, M/M, Multi, Not really Nancy/Jonathan friendly, Past Ot3, Pre-Relationship, Steve has emotions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-04
Updated: 2018-04-04
Packaged: 2019-04-18 09:27:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,127
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14210160
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starkquillstardust/pseuds/Starkquillstardust
Summary: Steve Harrington hates eating alone. Billy makes it where he doesn't have to.OrWe hate each other but it's really crowded and your booth is the only one available AU





	Unexpected Dinner Date

**Author's Note:**

> This is my third time uploading this bc AO3 kept messing up the formatting so I really hope this is better. Enjoy!!!

Steve hated eating in public alone, absolutely despised it. You couldn't get lost in conversation, so there was no way to distract you from those around you. Instead you were stuck looking out the window or making awkward eye contact with strangers. This is why he swore he'd never go out to eat alone.

Except his parents had been off on business for longer than they'd expected and he wasn't the best cook. Unfortunately Dustin was busy, and since he broke up with Nancy he hadn't really spoken to her or Jonathan, and he wasn't exactly friends with Tommy or Carol anymore. That's why when he pulls up to Galaxi Pizzeria and Arcade, he's alone. 

He takes a deep breath as he glances at himself in his front mirror one last time before pulling himself out of the vehicle. It'd gotten terribly cold as December began and he cursed the lack of heat in his vehicle. Now not only was he upset about eating alone, he was also frozen to the bone. He didn't think his night could possibly get any worse until it started snowing as he walked towards the door.

“Well, just fuck my life then,” He groans as he speeds up to push inside. 

It seemed that everyone else in the world also wanted to enjoy fun games and hot pizza because the restaurant was packed when he finally made it inside. He waits in line for almost fifteen minutes until a couple finishes and he's escorted to their table.

He orders a coke before settling down to just stare at the empty spot before him as the dread sets in. Screaming children and the stench of excess grease fill his senses and he begins to regret every decision he'd made to end up here. He should've gone with his parents.

He's pulled from his thoughts when someone grabs onto his shoulders from behind while someone else sits into the chair across from him.

“If it isn't King Steve,” Tommy goads as he leans forward. Steve grimaces and looks up to find Carol looking down at him like she has sadistic plans for him. Steve has no doubt that she does, “Long time, no see.”

“Yeah,” Steve leans forward, pulling himself away from Carol, while forcing a smile “It's been a while.”

Carol’s fingernails sink into his shoulders as she pulls him close again and Tommy leans forward with a snarl, “Realise your lil girlfriend was bullshit,” Steve's eyes snap up and harden into a glare, “She made you soft, ya know. That's why it was so fucking easy for Billy to knock you off the throne,” Steve's lip starts twitching and his fists clench under the table. He doesn't need this shit today, “Not that it would've been that hard before hand.”

Steve jerks his shoulder away, shaking Carol’s hands off him again. He glares up at her before turning back to Tommy, “Fuck off,” He snarls but he can already feel the fight leaving him. He was tired, disappointed, and just wanted them to leave him alone.

Tommy’s face flushes and he looks like he's about to degrade Steve further when a voice stops him, “Why the fuck are you in my chair?” 

Steve doesn't have to turn to know it's Billy Hargrove and he's never wanted to be back in the Upsidedown so bad in his life.

“Oh,” Tommy stands, suddenly looking nervous, “Didn't know you were meeting him here,” Steve finally glances at Billy to find him with a scowl in place and not enough clothes on for it to be snowing outside. He can feel a migraine coming on.

“Well I am, so fuck off,” Billy shoves Tommy over with his shoulder and plops into the chair. His foot rests on Steve's, he's honestly too scared to move it.

Tommy scoffs and straightens his jacket, “Try not to mess up his face again,” He shoves Steve's shoulder before wrapping his arm around Carol, “I know you want to.”

Steve watches them go, not missing the way Carol’s hand runs across Billy’s cheek or the flirty wink he sends her. Steve's ready to go home.

“Thanks?” He mumbles, more of a question than actual gratitude.

“I didn't do it for you, dipshit,” Billy replies, voice almost just as soft, there's barely a bite behind his words. He stares out the window, hardly acknowledging Steve's presence, “There were no other seats and I wanted some fucking pizza.”

Steve diverts his gaze back to the table and silence falls between them. Billy's foot stays rested on top of Steve's and he can feel the heat creep up his neck, verging on panic. He can feel Billy's fists beating on his face and a glance at Billy's knuckles proves to him for the millionth time that he hadn't dreamed it.

“It snows a lot here,” Billy whispers, seemingly to himself. The waitress comes back with Steve's drink before he can comment on it.

Billy orders a coke of his own and a large pepperoni pizza. The waitress takes it to be both of their orders and walks away before Steve can make an order of his own.

“You're paying half,” Billy speaks up, looking at Steve for the first time since he'd sat down.

“Naturally,” Steve grumbles and diverts his eyes again. He can feel shame spread over him at his signs of weakness but then the cold blanket of indifference falls over him and he exhales quietly.

“How's your face?” Billy asks after another tense silence. Steve looks up in surprise to find it's Billy who's now staring at the table. He almost looks upset.

“Doing fine, no thanks to you,” Steve retorts, a flash of anger going through him as the cuts on his face throb momentarily. Why the fuck is Billy sitting at his table? Why does he think he has any right to be near him?

Billy's foot presses down on his and he looks up to meet Steve's eyes. His gaze is soft and his teeth are worrying his lip as if he's nervous. There's an apology in his features and it makes Steve completely lock up. He doesn't stop Billy when he reaches forward to brush a finger across one of his butterfly bandages. He doesn't move when Billy's fingers linger over the bruises and follow the lines of his cuts.

“I,” Billy starts but then stops and pulls his hand back. He sits straight and starts to collect himself, “I shouldn't have come over here,” He stands and Steve has a hand buried in the sleeve of his jacket before he realizes what he's doing.

Their eyes meet again, a mix of emotions from both sides. Steve swallows thickly, “I really hate eating alone,” He whispers. Billy nods jerkily before slowly sitting back down. They maintain eye contact in silence. Billy's eyes trail over the cuts on Steve’s face and Steve's over the ones that had somehow appeared on Billy's.

“Coke and a large Pepperoni pizza. Would you like a refill?”

Steve jumps at the Waitresses voice and Billy's vulnerable demeanor becomes haughty and flirtatious in a split second, “Thanks sweet thing,” He winks at her and she flushes as she sits down their food and grabs Steve's hardly touched drink. She returns after a moment and bites her lip as her eyes trail over Billy. He grins up at her and Steve just wants her to leave.

“You need something else?” He asks in a monotone voice after she doesn't leave.

“Oh, um, enjoy your, um, your pizza,” She stutters out and swiftly walks away. Steve just sighs as he grabs a piece of pizza.

He can feel Billy's eyes on him as he eats and he looks up to glare at the other teenager. Billy hasn't touched the pizza yet and Steve narrows his eyes at him, “What?”

Billy just cracks a smile and grabs his first slice, “You're such a cock block dude.”

Steve snorts and leans back in his chair, “Sorry that I don't want you two eye fucking while I'm enjoying my pizza,” He takes another bite for emphasis. He licks the grease off his fingers and the side of his mouth shamelessly. Billy's eyes follow the motion closely and honestly Steve has no idea what's going on anymore.

He flushes as Billy leans forward with his own pizza in hand, “Is the Great Steve Harrington getting jealous?” He practically purrs and Steve snorts.

“You called her sweet thing, who the hell would be jealous of that?” He responds and then freezes when he realizes Billy meant jealous of him, not the waitress.

Silence falls between them again and Steve carefully keeps his eyes down. He can feel panic clawing up his throat, preventing air from making it to his lungs. Billy's going to kill him right in front of everyone. There won't be anything left of Steve for his family to find, if they even search. He'll be forgotten all because he didn't hold his tongue around the super hot psycho who beat the shit out of him not a month ago.

He feels like he's about to collapse into himself and die, so trapped inside his panic that when Billy’s legs wrap around his he can't prevent his breath hitching loudly. His head snaps up instantly to find Billy watching him with open curiosity, no disgust evident on his face.

“You're more of a Princess than a sweet thing,” Billy whispers as he runs his tongue across his bottom lip. Steve can't help but follow it with his eyes.

Steve's breath stutters in his chest once more, “From king to princess,” He whispers back, suddenly aware of just how many people are in the room with them, how they're one glance away from being permanently marked as faggots. His leg twitches where it meets Billy's.

“At least you're still royalty,” Billy takes a slow sip of his drink and Steve follows the line of the straw as it disappears into Billy's mouth.

“Uh, yeah,” Steve stutters, as Billy pulls him forward with his legs so that their knees are meeting. He's starting to feel a little dizzy from how far this has escalated in such a short amount of time but he just takes a breath and prepares himself for whatever's coming next.

He'd been all sorts of fucked up since being pulled into all the Upside Down bullshit and it'd only gotten worse since he'd lost Nancy and thus Jonathan. She'd been his rock and she came with Jonathan so he clung to both. He'd really thought it'd work, the three of them, that they could be happy together. But he didn't fit somehow and the two decided they were better off without him. Now he was really alone.

Billy mumbles something under his breath and Steve looks up with a furrowed brow, “What?”

Billy flushes and rubs his chin, “Your face,” He all but whispers again, keeping his gaze down, “I'm sorry.”

Steve's eyes widen and he reaches up to touch one of his butterfly bandages absentmindedly, “You were just looking out for Max,” He feels numb but heat spreads through his chest when Billy looks up in confusion.

“I beat the living shit out of you Steve,” He sounds baffled as he sits up, “I didn't kill any brain cells did I?” He reaches across the pizza to knock his knuckles against Steve's head lightly.

Steve just laughs and swats his hand away, “Honestly, you probably did but I'm fine now,” Billy just stares at him for a moment longer before scoffing and leaning back, “There's also the thing where I absolutely suck at fighting, so even if you weren't that angry you still could've beat my ass,” He admits with a blush and Billy snorts.

“You're a weird one, Steve Harrington,” He's smiling through the words and Steve can't help but smile back.

They settle into, surprisingly, friendly chatter. Billy talks about his Camaro and how he's afraid the snow’ll fuck it up. Steve talks about some TV show he'd started. They talk about basketball and teachers they mutually hate. Steve is going on about why he hates his English teacher when he glances towards the door and stutters to a stop.

Billy follows his gaze and together they watch Jonathan open the door for Nancy, both of them rosy cheeked and radiating happiness. Nancy is holding onto Jonathan's arm and leaning up against him to fight the cold. Steve's words catch in his throat as they take off their snowy jackets and Nancy laughs as Jonathan picks snow out of her hair. His chest tightens and his throat constricts as he finds that he can't turn away.

The legs around his tighten but Steve continues to watch the couple. He can feel Jonathan's arms around his waist and Nancy's head on his chest. He remembers how it feels to lay between them, to find solace in their gentle embrace. He can see himself with them right now, waiting for pizza, content to be with the two people he cared about the most. 

But he wasn't. Because Steve Harrington wasn't enough.

“Steve,” Billy's voice cuts through and he's forced out of his destructive thoughts. Billy slowly unwraps his legs from Steve's and pulls back. Steve shudders at the chills that run up his legs from where Billy was no longer providing warmth, “Why don't we get outta here?” Billy suggests, beginning to work his coat back over his shoulders and pulling out his wallet.

Steve nods numbly, all joy that had filled him the moment before gone cold, and stands with Billy. Panic surges through his body at the thought of walking to the front where Nancy and Jonathan are but he finds that he doesn't have much other choice. Billy watches him closely and Steve can feel his gaze burn through his body. He leans over to take one last desperate gulp of his coke, glancing at the half eaten pizza, and then they're making their way to the front.

He keeps his gaze down at Billy's feet as they walk, anything to not make eye contact with the couple he's avoiding. They make it to the counter without issue, luckily not spotted yet. Steve digs his wallet out of his back pocket but Billy stops him before he can pull out any cash, “I've got it,” Billy shrugs and hands the money to the woman at the register.

“What happened to splitting it?” Steve can feel a confused smile form on his face.

“I changed my mind,” Billy smiles back and puts his hand out for his change. He bumps his shoulder against Steve's as they wait for their receipt and Steve honestly can't believe he's finding comfort in Billy Hargrove of all people. 

He wasn't as bad as Steve had thought.

“Have a nice evening,” The woman dismisses them and the dread in Steve's stomach is enough to make him nauseous.

Billy pushes him forward gently and they walk side by side to the door. Steve tries to hide his body behind Billy's but because the whole universe hates him, he fails.

“Steve?” It's Jonathan's voice and Steve had at least wished it was Nancy's. He could be angry with Nancy but Jonathan hadn't exactly done anything wrong.

Steve forces himself to stop and Billy turns to him with a strange look on his face, “Oh, um, hey guys,” He blushes and they both have those stupid sympathetic looks on their faces. Steve thinks he's going to either cry or pass out.

“How have you been?” Nancy asks with a gentle voice, almost like she's talking to a small child. A cold flash goes through Steve as his embarrassment peaks and tears begin to prick at his eyes.

“I'm, well, I've been, I mean,” He starts stuttering and their sympathetic looks worsen, as does his anxiety. He can feel his throat tighten until he can't get any words out and he feels like a fish out of water.

He's about to make it worse when he feels an arm hook around his neck like one puts an arm around a shoulder and then he's being pulled down gently until he's closer to Billy than he ever imagined they could ever get without killing each other.

“He's fine,” Billy drawls and then he's pulling them towards the door. Steve stumbles forward until the doorbell jingles and he's being enveloped in coldness.

They make their way to their cars in silence, Billy's arm still wrapped around Steve's shoulder. Steve finds that he likes their contrasting colors, the burgundy of his BMW making Billy's blue Camaro practically glow in contrast.

“I could've handled it myself,” He tries weakly, but Billy just scoffs and drops his arm (much to Steve's disappointment) to bump him with his shoulder again.

“You sounded like a toddler trying say their first sentence,” Billy laughs and Steve can't help the grin on his face. Silence falls over them as they stop in front of their vehicles. Steve knows he should say something in return but finds himself at a loss for words. They stand side by side, shoulder to shoulder, arm to arm, for a long while, until their cheeks are pink and their noses runny, “It doesn't snow like this in Cali,” Billy speaks up again after a while, voice soft.

“I figured it's all beaches and warm weather up there,” Steve whispers back.

“It's perfect there,” Billy's voice is more vulnerable than Steve has ever heard it and he's momentarily stunned.

The silence stretches until Steve notices Billy's faint trembles and he remembers that the man is only in a jean jacket.

“Shit, we need to get out of the cold,” Steve pulls his keys out with shaking hands and starts moving towards his door. He's stopped by an arm on his elbow and he turns to see Billy smiling at him again.

“We should go get pizza again sometime,” He suggests and Steve nods, his own grin appearing on his face.

“I'll pay next time,” He promises and Billy laughs before moving to get in his vehicle.

They make eye contact when they're both settled in their vehicles. They watch each other for a while, trying to assess what had just happened between them. Billy looks away first to turn on his vehicle and send a small wave and a smile Steve's way before he pulls out.

Steve follows Billy's Camaro with his eyes until it disappears around the corner with a gush of snow. Once he's sure he's gone he lets his head fall on his steering wheel and he breaths for what seems like the first time since he'd entered the restaurant.

Billy has him good.

**Author's Note:**

> If you enjoyed this please leave comments bc they fuel my work and give me the strength to keep writing! Tell me what you liked and what I can do better!


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